


Night Song

by Liniel



Series: The Norrath Saga [5]
Category: EverQuest
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2019-07-21
Packaged: 2020-07-10 03:55:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19899436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Liniel/pseuds/Liniel
Summary: The mage Xanissa has not been able to forget her once-lover Ailith; seeking her out in Freeport to see if the spark is still there.





	1. Chapter 1

Freeport was nothing like she had thought it would be. It was noisy, filthy – a city of sin and greed. At least she had been lucky in finding a small room at an inn in Longshadow Alley that she didn't have to rent by the hour. Xanissa sighed heavily, staring at the ground. She felt uneasy, wanting desperately to put this visit off a moment longer.

Her thoughts went to her brother and a dark pit of despair opened before her feet. _Ziran. Gods, Ziran…_ He had to be alright, didn't he? Xanissa tried to find comfort in this thought but there was no solace to be found, not for her, not anymore. Every time she thought of him, her stomach turned into a pit of writhing, wriggling worms. It wasn’t just Ziran – it was the path that lay before her. She knew why magic was forbidden among her people. She knew why, when a child showed any signs of being gifted, the elders came to take it away from its parents and why it was never seen again. One cold autumn night last year, she had woken up in her bed, unnerved and covered in sweat; the remnants of a nightmare still lingered in her mind. She had seen them in her dream; the lost children; small bodies buried deep in the ground, out of sight but never forgotten. She had been unable to go back to sleep, unable to shake off the need to see them. To hear them.

Quietly she had tip-toed down the stairs to slip out into the cool darkness of night, filled with a nameless grief that grasped for her heart. It took her almost a full hour to find the spot. An eerie silence lingered here, where shadows tightened into blackest darkness under towering spruces. Xanissa sunk to the ground, the feelings of helplessness and sorrow wrapping so tight around her she could barely breathe. They sung to her in the chill of night, sung to her about their lives and their deaths, about the secrets that lay buried deep in the bowel of the earth. She dug, hands and fingers and nails, until she had laid bare the bones of at least three children. She had felt the magic that still lingered within their small bones, she had felt its allure and how it resonated with her own blood. She had heard their whispers.

Ziran always said, the elders had forbidden the use of magic to limit the knowledge to a select few. Men and women of power, whose positions as elders would be threatened if magic was readily available to everyone. But Xan knew better. The graves, the slaughter of children? That was the work of someone scared, genuinely afraid of what they could have become. They were scared of the curse.

Xanissa drew a ragged breath, snapping out of her reverie, turning her attention back to the noisy streets of Freeport. Slowly, she lifted her gaze to the door across the street, her heart beating so hard people could probably hear it. She fingered the necklace she held in her hand, shuffling uncomfortably. _It's just this one meeting. Casual. Old friends talking. Nothing special. And then tomorrow, I'm enrolling at the Academy of Arcane Science._ Her lips moved silently as the words slipped over her tongue, but even she herself didn't believe in them.

Their relation had not ended well. Xanissa had asked for more than her lover could offer - protection and a comfortable life was what she had been promised, when what she dreamed of was undying love, romance and passion. It had ended then and there, in the garden outside her parents' home on the island where she grew up, with a letter from her lover.

_Xan, I can't be the one you need me to be. I'm sorry. Hey, tell your dad he still owes me the ten gold coins. Love, Ailith._

It was such a typical letter - short, to the point. She sighed. Why had she even bothered coming here? She would just return the necklace and be on her way, she’d find a new life for herself here in Freeport. She took a deep breath and pushed open the doors to the Crimson Twilights tavern.


	2. The Debt

The assignment in the Thundering Steppes had completed and Ailith had been able to return home to Freeport, at last. While she was out of town, Kianwyn had been standing in for her at the tavern that acted as a front to a secret mercenary operation. Business was going well – the tavern was crammed with people tonight, just like any other night lately. _Maybe some of them just came to flirt with the blonde waitress,_ Ailith thought with a smirk. Not that she minded. Whatever brought in the cash, she mused as she studied the patrons seated at the tables. She remained hidden within shadows, wanting to watch and observe unseen for yet another moment, taking in the atmosphere before she made her presence known. Thoughtfully she scanned the room, eyeing each patron in turn.

There were those among them who had that special glint in their eyes. Desperation written all over their sorry, miserable faces. Ailith smirked. _Easy prey._ Just then, the door was pushed open and the sound drew her attention. She turned her violet eyes towards it automatically, watching a young woman enter. Her skin was a pale, silky blue, eyes bright like a summer sky. She had pulled back her long hair and tied it with a ribbon, and the gown she wore was simple but clean. Ailith watched the young woman walked up to the bar, looking awkward and out of place.

The assassin slipped out of the shadows, silently walking up to the bar while nodding in greeting to the patrons. "Xan." She breathed the word, touching Xanissa's shoulder casually in passing, a wink and a then smirk on her face when Xanissa sucked in a breath. “What are you doing in this part of town? Seems an odd place for a casual stroll. You flirting a bit with danger?”

"Ailith..." The girl whispered weakly, her eyes following the assassin as Ailith rounded the counter to pour a drink. Already Xanissa was regretting the whole thing. _I shouldn't have come._

"You like them strong, babe?" Ailith was watching her and it took a moment for her to realize she was supposed to order a drink. "Oh. Right." She cleared her throat, mustering all of her courage before daring a shy smile. "A fayberry margarita… Please." She exhaled another quiet sigh of relief when Ailith smirked again, turning her attention to the bottles and flasks at the counter. Those eyes always seemed to see right through her.

While waiting for her drink she tried to relax, peering curiously around the room. So many unfamiliar faces... A fair amount of them could use a good wash, she noted with disgust.

Ailith studied her while mixing the margarita. "You haven't changed a bit." She snorted. Xan was so delicate...Sweet, and innocent like an angel. _Freeport will be the end of her,_ Ailith thought with a sudden and unexpected tinge of sadness. "And how's the family? Your brother must be all grown up by now." She tilted her head. "Oh, by the way..." she added casually, without waiting for the reply. "Your father still owes me those ten gold, you know."

The way Ailith had looked at her made her blush. "Yeah... About that..." She opened her hand, revealing the treasure she'd been holding on to for so long. "Please, Ailith... Take the necklace back. It's worth at least four gold, accept it as part of the payment. Please?"

When Ailith didn't reply, Xan went on nervously. "He will pay his debt, I swear..." She bit her lip, staring down at the necklace resting in the palm of her hand - too self-conscious and nervous to look at Ailith. The image of her father's body drenched in blood flashed before her inner eye.

"Your FATHER owes me the money, HE will pay the debt. You are too kind for your own good. Someone will take advantage of you one day, you know." Ailith shook her head and let out another snort, but caught the hurt look on Xan's face. After a moment of hesitation, she closed Xanissa's hand gently, holding it in her own. "It was a gift, sweetheart. I wouldn't dream of taking it back." Her voice softened, memories of their time together surfacing unbidden. She wanted to wipe away that hurt look on Xanissa's face but could not find it in her to make false promises. "Hey... Nothing has changed, baby... I'm still the same."

Xan closed her eyes briefly, butterflies fluttering in her stomach. _Is this really what I want?_ And then she pushed all her fears and doubts aside, pushing the stool back. She leaned across the counter, her breath hot against Ailith's soft lips: "But I'm not.”

The glimpse of surprise in the assassin's lavender eyes only made the kiss so much sweeter.


End file.
